3 comments:

I wonder what my daughter's memories of Hogarth will be. I'm convinced that his neutering just didn't take, considering his propensity for, uh, straddling and uh, canine pelvic thrusts. My theory is that when kids crawl around on the floor, dogs can get a little confused about the family hierarchy. This is exhibited in behavior that can be a little difficult to explain to the younger ones, and more than a little embarrassing to parents.

My daughter used to tell me that Hogarth was "hugging" her. I told her that he wasn't hugging her, he had already rounded third base and was heading for home. She just recently learned what that meant, and actually got a laugh out of it.

It's never a good idea to get a dog out of guilt or present for a child who can't train it and won't (be able to) take care of it. Poor Daisy, I'm thinking, even as I can readily understand the difficulties of caring for a pet and a child on one's own.

We don't get to know from the post what breed the dog is and, therefore, whether it's prone to being "needy." Training a dog out of being so is difficult, though possible-- again, if one takes the time and regardless of breed.

My present menagerie is largely comprised of pets (10/11) that other folks didn't want. There are legions more at shelters. The trouble is that folks would sooner go to a "pet store" or breeder than shelters or the pound, since many-- with some basis-- have greater aversion to "used pets" than used appliances.

From my perspective, what to do with the dog is a greater issue than whether one can "get rid of it." One knows one can place dogs with shelters. Sounds to me as though she's already decided she doesn't want the dog.

Hogarth, there are ways to break the dog of doing that. Please talk to your vet or a reputable dog trainer in your area.

This is a dominance-related behavior problem, and is considered by vets and dog trainers to be a serious problem. When I worked as a veterinary assistant and as a dog trainer, mounting behavior toward humans was not to be tolerated in any situation and was grounds for an animal to be put down if it could not be solved.

That type of thing can be extremely traumatizing to a child and can literally have the same effects as sexual abuse, especially if they don't feel they can stop the animal from doing it or if the adults they are counting on to protect them laugh it off. Unwanted sexual advances from a human or animal should never be tolerated, especially where a child is concerned. A large dog is very powerful and can be frightening to even an adult and, much like a relationship with an adult or a more powerful child, a kid may not feel it's OK to assert themselves and vocalize that they are bothered by it.

If you can't get the dog to stop this behavior, than please, for your daughter's sake, find the dog a new home or have it put down. It's not worth the damage it could do to your child.